Favicons Are Important

In online business, it is the little things that set apart a website from the rest. The theme, the colour tones, the font, the layout, the logo, the text-box colours, the header and rest of the images in the content, and even the domain name all make up the overall brand image of a business. Each of them may look insignificant in isolation but the sum total of these little things reflect the seriousness of the brand and overlooking them might be at our own disadvantage. One such little, almost inconspicuous thing is the favicon in the website. The smallest visual element in a website.

Favicon is the short form of “favourites icon” and was originally conceived to distinguish the websites when grouped together as favourites (we call them bookmarks now) for the user. Favicons are small images that usually contain the logo, the first letter of the brand or a generic image that represents the type of business the website is in. These small icons are seen

in the address bar just beside the title of the active pages

in the different tabs of the browser when it has tabbed interface

in the bookmark list

Usually, the most ignored aspect of a website, a favicon, however, has its place of importance from the branding point of view. A beautiful favicon is reflective of the “attention to detail” character of the business and it is this quality that is going keep the brand value one notch higher than the rest in gaining people’s trust. It also enhances the user experience.

Brand recognition

A favicon is associated with the website and is more like its ID that help users remember it easily. It distinguishes a website from other active pages in the browser tabs. This is because people are more visual by nature. If favicons are not used, browsing through multiple URLs in the browser tabs will be difficult because there is nothing to differentiate a website from the rest. Without a favicon, the tabs show a blank page image in the default. It’s always challenging to establish online branding, but using favicon is one of the ways to do that.

Saves time for the user

When favicons are used, the user experience is enhanced. It saves time in identifying a website from the active tabs, the bookmarks, and history. For instance, if there are multiple websites bookmarked for future reference, favicons will make it easier to pick the website we are looking for on the list.

Credibility of the brand

Even though it’s the design that’s going to grab eyeballs for a website, but in order to let the visitors stay longer, the business has to project an image of seriousness and being trustworthy. And here, the inconspicuous visual element like a favicon helps in projecting the appearance of a credible business. This image is important because if a website cannot project itself as a trustworthy brand, then visitors do not stay for long in the page and leave it before even appreciating the content.

Increased website usability

With a favicon in place, the usability of a website increase and this correlates to higher search engine rankings. Having a favicon in the address bar just beside the website name, bookmarks or in the browser tab results in an enhanced user experience – easy identification, an easy selection from a bookmarks list, time-saving for the user. This has the potential for a positive SEO effect for your website.

Online favicon generators

With so many advantages of using favicons, there are no reasons why we should not be having one for our website. Creating a favicon is easy and you don’t need a designer to create one. There are many online favicon generators where you simply upload an image and convert it into a favicon. Some online favicon generator sites are:

Take-home message

Favicons belong to the category of things on a website we do not pay much attention to. But far from being useless and insignificant, favicons play a very important role in branding and creating trust among customers. Remember, people trust a website with a favicon more than one without it. It helps in establishing a serious image of the brand and projects an attention-to-detail character. So, a well-designed favicon is reflective of the professionalism of the business, which is something most customers are looking for. Most exciting things, they say, come in small packages. A favicon is one such.

2 comments
On Favicons Are Important

I didn’t even know what a favicon was until someone suggested that I add it when I first started my website. I agree that having a favicon adds credibility to your brand and is really very easy to create. It also makes it easier for someone to find your page if they bookmark it as you mention. Are there any favicon generators that you think are better than others from those you listed here?

Lynn, creating favicons on our own is easy. The favicon generators make it even simpler with their ability to create instant designs online. The favicon generators listed here just the more popular ones. I created mine myself. I do not know if there are favicon generators better than the ones listed. Thanks for dropping by.

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Hey, I’m Sukumar Thingom. For years, I struggled as a blogger and made many mistakes. The purpose of my blog is to help newbie bloggers manoeuvre their way through the extremely confusing world of internet marketing without having to waste much precious time.